Winning in December
by Cakes Go Supernova
Summary: Not everything ends happy and not everything turns up roses. Sometimes, things do turn up roses and not end up happy. At least, that's the case for Midoriya.


_Kacchan is my everything. I cannot live without Kacchan._

Those words echoed in Midoriya's head as he looked up at the ceiling of his room. He thought about many things from his past, things Bakugo would literally kill him over if he ever spread the word. Soon, the two of them would be living under the same roof as they moved into the dorms at UA, Heights Alliance. He was scared. If anything, he was just glad that his room wasn't next to his former childhood friend. It would have only done well to cause him restless nights.

"Kacchan... if only you knew how much I care about you..." Midoriya whispered into the air as tears unwillingly cascaded down the sides of his face. He didn't hear the knock before the door opened.

Turning his head, he saw Kaminari and Kirishima at the entrance.

"Hey, Midoriya. We're headed down to the lobby to play some games with the others wanna join?" Kirishima grinned, eyes closed like he normally did.

"Woah! Midoriya! Why are you crying?" Kaminari asked, showing genuine concern for his classmate and friend.

"I'm crying?" Midoriya asked as he sat up to wipe at the tears. "Oh. I didn't notice. Maybe I was just thinking about something sad." He shook his head and smiled at the other two. "It's okay, I'm fine. But you mentioned games?"

"Ah... yeah. Meet us down in the lobby if you're up for it!" Kaminari smiled warily before he and Kirishima shoved off.

Midoriya sighed to himself as he felt his shoulders weigh down once more with the burden of his repressed feelings. Clutching his chest, he got out of bed and slapped his cheeks. He put on a smile and headed down into the lobby. Games would be a good distraction from his current unrequited love. It wasn't quite romantic, but it was still a love that wasn't returned, no matter how much Midoriya wanted it or how hard he tried.

Games. They were... not what Midoriya expected.

"Left foot blue!" One Mina Ashido cried out in her usual peppiness.

The floor had four mats with 3-5 players each mat sprawled across it. Each mat also held 4 columns of 6 dots. Each column had a different set of 6 colored dots: green, yellow, blue, and red.

"What is this hell game, Ashido!?" One in-pain Kaminari called out as his body was twisted around so he could put his left foot on a blue dot.

"It's called 'Twister'! It's a game from America. Yaoyomomo remembered playing it as a kid and I thought it sounded fun!" Ashido giggled as she flicked the spinner again. "Alright! Right hand, green!"

"Oh fuck me!"

"Kaminari, get your butt out of my face!"

"Like I'm doing it on purpose Jirou!"

Midoriya couldn't help but laugh a bit. It was a nice release from the tension he'd been feeling early. He put his right hand on green and looked up at one of the other three playing on this mat. "How ya hanging in there, Todoroki?"

Said man seemed to be in pain, and well he should be. His body was twisted into the shape of a pretzel. "I regret not going to bed."

"Oh c'mon. This is kinda fun!"

"Maybe for you, Midoriya! I have to stretch my entire body just to get to the other dots! Americans are crazy why would they do this!?" Mineta screeched from underneath Midoriya's stomach.

"It's a good way to exercise and stretch your limbs," Midoriya offered only to have Mineta scoff at him.

"Hey, Mineta! Just be glad you're not on the same mat as Ojiro! It's crowded over here!" Sero called from across the room.

"At least there's only three of us on this mat," Ojiro offered apologetically before looking at a bent upside-down Aoyama beneath him. "Uh..."

"Merci."

"Enough chit-chat! Left hand, yellow!"

Midoriya twisted his body to put his hand on yellow and met his with someone else. He looked up and came face to face with Bakugo. "Ah! Kacchan! I didn't know you were playing..."

More like he didn't know Bakugo was playing on THIS mat.

"Shut up, you shitty nerd. Move your hand, I'm using this one."

"Uhm. We can share the dots," Midoriya pouted a bit. Angered, Bakugo grabbed Midoriya and pulled him down, causing the boy to collapse on top of Mineta.

"Midoriya! Mineta! Both of you are out!" Ashido giggled helplessly. Midoriya sighed and got up, apologizing to Mineta as he helped up the other boy.

Todoroki glared at Bakugo who glared right back, unwavering. Midroiya only slumped and went over to the couch with the others who had also 'outed'. So far it was only Shoji, Sato, and Koda aside from him and Mineta. He scanned the room. Bakugo and Todoroki were on the mat he'd just came from. Ojiro, Sero, and Aoyama were on the mat across the room. Next to the mat Midoriya was just on was Jirou, Kaminari, Kirishima, Yaoyoroza, and Hagakure (who had worn socks and gloves so people could tell she was playing fairly). In the middle of the room were Asui, Uraraka, Iida, and Tokoyami. That left Ashido as the "spinmaster" as she called herself.

Midoriya smiled to himself. Everyone seemed like they were having fun. It was a nice break before the Hero License Exam in a couple of days.

Little did anyone know the heartache that would come in the following days.

Midoriya rubbed the arm where Bakugo had stepped on to prevent him from moving or using his quirk during their battle following the Hero License Exam. He got a provisional license, Bakugo did not. Though things were far from ideal, he and Bakugo finally got to talk. However, on Midoriya's end, things only got worse after that talk... and not because of Bakugo. Well, not directly.

Midoriya felt it in his stomach and immediately rushed to the bathroom in his room to hurl. This was the third time that day. Every time, it happened when he was thinking about Bakugo. He wiped his mouth to discover only saliva, no bile. He looked into the toilet and sighed.

Red rose petals.

He had been trying to deny it for about a day now, but he was almost certain of what it could mean. He flushed the petals down the toilet. He didn't puke every time he thought of Bakugo but he did puke often. Though he and Bakugo were on better terms they weren't friends and that's what hurt the most.

Midoriya clutched his chest where he felt the familiar ache from before. It was somehow worse now. He knew why; he just didn't want to face or accept the truth. He didn't wanna admit it to himself or to anyone for that matter. Tears cascaded down his face again and he felt the pain well up in his chest. He felt like he could burst with how much he was suffering from his own emotional dilemma. Again, he puked; this time on the floor. Flower petals were scattered everywhere and this time, he could taste the metallic of blood in his mouth. He was getting worse.

He eventually passed out on the floor, head in his own pool of rose corolla.

"-ya. Midoriya!"

Midoriya blinked his eyes open to find himself suddenly in bed. He looked over to see a very worried-looking Todoroki, Uraraka, Toshinori, and Iida by his bedside.

"Where...?"

"In the hospital wing at UA."

Midoriya looked over to see Recovery Girl sitting next to him with a frown on her face. He knew that frown meant one thing only. His nightmare was coming true.

"Deku... we found you resting in rose petals..." Uraraka started, not wanting to finish it. Everyone in the room wore a grim expression. After a moment of silence, Recovery Girl spoke.

"We all know it. But the diagnosis is clear as can be. Midoriya... I'm afraid you-"

"Don't say it!"

Everyone looked taken aback by Midoriya's sudden outburst. He gripped to the bedsheets tightly as he glared downward, tears threatening to fall.

"If you say it... then it becomes reality. And I have to live with that... knowing that..." Midoriya closed his eyes tightly. "Knowing that I'm not loved back."

"Midoriya, my boy, you can't just keep ignoring it though. It's a serious medical condition. It's resulted in deaths if left untreated," Toshinori frowned sadly as he looked at his protege.

"It's Bakugo, isn't it?"

Midoriya's eyes widened as he looked at Uraraka in amazement. "How-"

"I see the way you look at him, Deku. You have so much love and admiration for him in your chest... But he's hurting you without even touching you, Deku..." Uraraka frowned as felt herself tear up a bit. "I don't want you to die!"

Midoriya looked down and shook. "Y'know... I'm used to this kind of thing. I've never had any luck. I always drew the short straw. But every time, I overcame it. Being short, weak, quirkless. I overcame all of it in pursuit of my goals. But this... I don't know if I can overcome this. I mean, it's Hanahaki Disease. What am I gonna do?" He smiled sadly at the others.

"There's always surgery," Todoroki offered.

"Exactly! You could get the surgery done and-"

"And then what? Fall in love with him all over again just to get hurt again? The surgery has many pros and cons. It removes the disease from your body, but you're left temporarily empty. Not knowing love. I don't ever want to feel that. For some, it's irreversible, they can never love again. There's also the added risk of you actually hating the person you once cherished dearly. To the point that you want to kill them..." Midoriya mumbled. "It's possible to get over the love, but it's very rare for Hanahaki to cure itself."

"You know a lot about this, Midoriya," Todoroki stated with a look of concern.

"Well... when it first started a couple nights ago, I looked into it, naturally... Kacchan's right, I'm just a big nerd," Midoriya laughed softly, almost as if he was trying to make himself happy again. He looked at everyone. "Hey... does anyone else know?"

"Not what it is, no. Only we know. The rest just think you had some really bad food poisoning," Iida confirmed as Midoriya nodded.

"Good, let's keep it that way."

Midoriya, the King of Secrets and Lies. He felt every secret and every lie he'd told everyone suddenly stack up on him. Recovery Girl sighed and handed him a slip of paper.

"What's this?"

"A prescription form. It's medicine to help control the regurgitation, the pain, and for some iron supplements. You'll need them with the vines and thorns tearing you up inside. It's still early so I do recommend you get it treated. You're a strong person, I'm sure the side effects won't even happen for you," Recovery Girl offered with a worried smile.

"Thanks, Recovery Girl. I'll think about it."

But Midoriya never did. In fact, he dodged every aspect of having to think about his disease. He took his medicine and it bought him time. However...

Midoriya yelped as he doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. Bakugo had just punched him in the gut during a hand-to-hand spar, no Quirks. It was a hard punch but it shouldn't have hurt THAT much. He fell to his knees as he cried out in pain. It felt like flames were setting his stomach on fire. He was in pain, and a lot of it, too.

Bakugo faltered, stopping as he looked at the now-writhing Deku. He hadn't punched that hard, so what was causing the nerd so much pain?

The answer became clear as Midoriya puked up red roses and some blood. His Hanahaki had progressed. It wasn't just petals anymore, he was starting to puke up full roses. Midoriya groaned in pain as he fell over on his side, clutching his stomach.

Not knowing what else to do, Bakugo picked up his childhood friend and headed for the hospital wing. Everyone was frozen in their tracks as the witnessed the display. Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki looked at each other with worry. They knew. Midoriya was getting worse.

"Deku... you..."

"I know, Uraraka... I'm sorry..." Midoriya looked at the sheets as his friends consoled him. Bakugo sat nearby, not speaking as listened in on the conversation.

 _So Deku's been sick for a while. Damn nerd probably hid it and pushed himself too far... But... those were roses I saw. So, he's not gonna get better any time soon if that's the case..._ Bakugo's head spiraled and spun as he thought about his childhood friend's condition. He knew exactly what Deku had and he was hesitant to say it aloud. _Hanahaki disease..._ The thought alone caused Katsuki to shiver. _It's practically a death sentence... if he doesn't get the surgery..._

"Why didn't you do anything about it?" Iida solemnly asked, his face hurt and saddened.

"Because the risks of the alternative were too great for me to bear... I couldn't bring myself to do it..." Midroiya's eyes prickled with tears as looked down at the bedsheets, balling them up into his fist and letting go.

"So you'd rather die loving Bakugo than live with hating him? What kind of sense is that?! You should always choose life over death, Deku!" Uraraka cried out, tears in her eyes.

"What?" Bakugo's attention was now suddenly drawn to the conversation.

"I didn't choose this, Uraraka! You think I wanna love someone as mean as Kacchan?! Sometimes the heart just wants what it wants, despite the owner's protests!" Midoriya was trying all his might not to cry. "And not everyone who suffers unrequited love gets sick with Hanahaki, I'm just one of the unlucky ones."

Midoirya had all but forgotten that Bakugo was in the room and as the others left, not being able to stand seeing their friend in such a condition, Bakugo was now suddenly energetic.

"What the fuck?! How gross can you get, shitty Deku!? Who the hell gave you permission to force your homo urges on me!?" Bakugo growled out as he stood up. "You should-"

"Shut up, Kacchan! I know! But am I supposed to do here!? We can't be friends. I can't like you or love you. But you contradict yourself! I can't leave you alone or else you get mad because I'm ignoring you and you consistently want my attention! What the hell am I supposed to do!? You've got me in a hole here!" Midoriya shook as he grabbed the bedsheets tightly, tears streaming down his face. "I don't know what else to do. I can't stop loving you, Kacchan... and I can't get the surgery now, it's too late. The bush is too big to remove..."

Bakugo was silent for a long time before, mulling over what Deku had just told him. He grit his teeth as he shook from anger. "Why the hell did you wait? You could've gotten the surgery and then-"

"And then what, Kacchan? The surgery has side effects... one of them includes hating you, and I can't do that. You mean too much to me for me to hate you," Midoriya shook his head.

"So, what? You just gonna drop dead? Aren't you supposed to be the number one hero? You trained with All Might! You're just gonna waste that?! That's stupid!" Without any further commentary, Bakugo left the room as he slammed the door shut.

Midoriya felt his chest tighten and he doubled over himself, tears pouring. He cried out as he felt the knot form in his stomach. He had to puke.

Not everything has a happy ending. Midoriya knew his time was up. So much had happened in a short amount of time and he hadn't even been able to say goodbye to his mom.

Explosions could be heard in the background as the city of Kyoto was under siege by the League of Villains. What they wanted was unknown to the young heroes and pro heroes on the scene, but they all did their best to save civilians and tame the villains.

All except for Midoriya, who was lying collapsed under some rubble that had blown up from a nearby building. He was virtually unscathed and could've easily pushed the rubble off him with a Full Cowl. However, the flower had bloomed in his heart and he was having trouble breathing as the roots dug in and filled his lungs. He was dying and at an accelerated rate. He briefly wondered if the acceleration of his death had anything to do with using One For All.

He choked and spluttered out blood as he wondered if anyone would be there for him when he passed. He didn't think so. Nobody knew where he was at or that the disease was finally claiming him.

He closed his eyes when he heard his name called out and suddenly he felt the rubble go flying off him. Opening his eyes, he saw a very concerned Bakugo looking at him.

"Kacchan... you're the last person I expected to see... But I'm happy..."

"What the hell are you talking about, shitty nerd?" Bakugo growled out, though the look of concern never completely left his face.

"A few weeks ago, you stopped talking to me because of my decision to continue to be homosexual... to continue loving you..." Midoriya coughed out, blood getting everywhere.

Bakugo looked to the blood, heavily worried as he looked back to his childhood friend. "What about it?"

"Sorry but I made my choice... at least you're getting what you wanted," Midoriya's voice was barely above a whisper as he tried to cling to his fleeting breath.

"What are you-"

"You're always telling me to go kill myself, Kacchan. I finally did, by loving someone so mean and crass. Honestly, I don't know what I saw in you, Kacchan..." Tears leaked out of Midoriya's eyes and it hit Bakugo right then what was happening.

His childhood friend was about to die.

"Don't talk like you're quitting, Deku. Don't you fucking dare!" Bakugo's voice shook as his emotions raged inside of him. The war in Kyoto still going on around them, but none of that mattered at this moment. "You're Deku! You never give up on anything! You're so goddamned annoying with how persistent you are. Don't you-" Bakugo choked, unable to control the tears as they started falling. "Goddammit..."

"This isn't something I can just be persistent on, Kacchan... this disease... it's taking me one way or another..." Midoriya's voice was broken and raspy as talked. Each word coming out with a gasp for air. His chest was getting tired and it hurt to breathe anymore. "The bush is in full bloom inside my heart... the roots... they're in my lungs... I can't breathe very well Kacchan. Soon, I won't be able to breathe at all..."

"Don't you fucking die on me, Deku! Goddamn those stupid flowers!" Bakugo cradled Midoriya in his arms as the younger boy closed his eyes.

"You're so warm, Kacchan. It's the nitroglycerin and your explosions... I know you hated me, but I've always... I've always loved you, Kacchan..." Midoriya opened his eyes weakly to look at the crying blonde. "Hey, Kacchan... can I ask a favor of you?"

Bakugo hesitated for a second but then nodded. "What do ya want, ya damn nerd?"

"You'll probably say 'no', but kiss me, please? It's important you do that..."

Bakugo glared at the green-haired boy but complied. This was his childhood friend after all... and he was dying. Bakugo wasn't completely heartless, he could handle that much as a dying wish. No matter what he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to save Midoriya. It was too late. As he kissed Deku, he felt the boy push his spit into his mouth. Out of shock, he swallowed it and pulled away.

"What the fuck, Deku!?"

"I... needed to transfer over One For All..."

Bakugo's eyes widened as he shook uncontrollably. "What...? You... you gave me All Might's power...?" He was hyperventilating and hysterical by this point. "Why would you do that!?"

"So it can continue on... partially because you were nearby but also because... you admire All Might and I believe you can use it for good things, Kacchan..." Midoriya smiled out as his chest stopped moving up and down. He closed his eyes. "I love you, Kacchan... so please, end me quickly. I don't want to suffocate to death." Those words were barely above a whisper as Midoriya used the last of his breath to say them.

Bakugo's tears fell like a steady waterfall as he laid down Midoriya, shaking the entire time. He grabbed a nearby shard of glass, fumbling with it. He was torn. He knew it'd be a mercy to kill him, but Bakugo didn't want to do it. He didn't want to kill his friend. Midoriya weakly reached out for Bakugo, his fingertips already blue from lack of oxygen.

Letting out an agonized cry, Bakugo drove the glass through Midoriya's heart. Rose petals and blood splatted the scene as Bakugo continued his cries of emotional pain.

An hour passed and the war ended. Bakugo didn't see the rest of the fight as he sat curled into a ball next to Midoriya's lifeless body, the smile still on the boy's pale face. Rescue efforts were made and by the time Bakugo and Midoriya's body were found, Bakugo was no longer the same.

Bakugo came up with the excuse that the shrapnel landed like that on Midoriya and the boy was already dead when they found him. Police bought it, but Bakugo knew that the teachers thought different.

A few weeks passed, and a funeral was held in Midoriya's honor. Everyone at UA attended but only those in class 1-A and Midoriya Ikno lingered.

One by one, though, everyone slowly left until only All Might, Inko, Aizawa, Iida, Uraraka, Todoroki, and Bakugo were left.

"What you did... was an act of mercy... I can't condemn you for that..." Aizawa was the first to speak up.

"What are you talking about, sensei?" Uraraka asked as Aizawa looked to Bakugo, who just stared at the public altar of Midoriya.

It was a moment before Todoroki spoke up. "I see... you were the one that drove the glass through Midoriya's heart."

"What!?" Uraraka screeched out, causing Bakugo to flinch. "Why would you do that?"

Bakugo closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. He still said nothing.

"Answer me! Why would you kill Deku!?" Uraraka was hurt and irrational. She went to take a step forward but Aizawa stopped her by putting out his arm.

"Think rationally about it, Uraraka. We all know that Midoriya was suffering from late stages of Hanahaki, so?" He looked to Uraraka. It donned on her and she gasped.

"It was to spare him from suffocating to death..." Iida stated, eyes widened before he clenched his teeth and looked to the side.

All Might walked up to Bakugo and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he died peacefully, knowing you cared enough to make it quick and painless for him..."

Bakugo flinched again and the tears fell again. The blonde wasn't good with loss. Not of this caliber.

"I think we should leave them be," Aizawa suggest as he and the remaining students left the area.

"Why... why did it have to be Deku...? And why... why did he give ME his Quirk? I shouldn't have One For All..." Bakugo looked down at his hands as the power flared up in his arm. He quickly canceled it and just stood there.

"I couldn't say, Bakugo, my boy... but Midoriya was definitely a character. I have no doubt in my mind that he would've made a splendid pro hero... so, do his name justice and use that power the way he would've. To bring smiles to everyone's faces..." With that said, All Might shoved off until just Bakugo and Inko were left at the altar.

"Izuku... he cared for you a lot... He always looked up to you, especially after we found out he was Quirkless... or, supposed to be Quirkless... You were like a big brother to him back then, ya know?" Inko smiled sadly at Bakugo as the blonde nodded.

"Can... I walk you home, Midoriya-san?" Bakugo asked as Inko smiled and nodded. She clung to his arm and the two walked back to the Midroiya in silence.

"We're here today with the number one pro Hero, 'Kadeku'. So, how'd you come up with your Hero Name?" An interviewer on a TV station asked a rather stiff Bakugo, now in his mid-twenties.

"It's... a portmanteau of mine and my old classmate's nicknames, 'Kacchan' and 'Deku'," Bakugo stated with a faint smile on his lips. As the years had progressed, he'd gotten less explosive and demurer, like his father. Not quite like him, but definitely less angry. He'd adopted some of Midoriya's old habits, like mumbling, as a way to keep his memory alive. He smiled a lot more if only to "bring smiles to everyone's faces", the way Midoriya wanted. His entire Hero career was a homage to his childhood friend.

"Yes. If I remember correctly, he was pretty good in your class. Whatever happened to him?"

Bakugo was silent for a moment, the smile fading from his face as the memories came back. "...he died."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine... it was ten years ago... he never got to be a pro Hero though," Bakugo stated somberly.

"What was 'Deku' to you? What was your relationship?"

"Deku... er... Izuku. He was... my best friend."

"Is that it?" The interviewer egged on.

Bakugo remained silent for a moment before he shook his head. "No. But I realized the later part too late to count."

"And what's that?"

Bakugo looked down before looking up towards the heavens.

"He was the most precious person in the world to me."

* * *

 **So the name of this story has nothing to do with the actual plot, as you have noticed.**  
 **Well, what I did was take the Kanji of "Katsu" in Katsuki and mash it together with the Kanji of "Deku". Basically to get the "Kadeku" that was Bakugo's name at the end.**  
 **So basically I spelled out their ship name "KatsuDeku" and it roughly translates to "Winning in December".**  
 **So that's how I got the name for the fic.**  
 **Sorry for the misleading name!**

 **Your author,**  
 **Nova**


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